Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Stuffed Shells

First Off... Happy Birthday to the coolest chick I know, Katie!!!

Secondly, say hello my new favorite dish. I don't make stuffed shells very often because I think they are... how do I put it? Boring?  I saw this recipe on the blog Runs with Spatulas and I was intrigued. By stuffing the shells with something that isn't just ricotta cheese ( don't get me wrong, I love cheese) it makes these so much more interesting and delicious.

Cauliflower Nuggets

So I dubbed these cauliflower nuggets because they remind me of chicken nuggets and actually kind of look  and taste like them, but of course they are cauliflower florets. These are the base for baked bang bang cauliflower ( pre-sauce) and I came to the conclusion these are just as delicious and would be a great meal or snack any day!

Double Crunch Chicken

Look at that Crust!!!

OMG People. We have a winner! This chicken dish is amazing. If you remember me telling you all, Toby and I rarely eat the same thing for dinner due to his meat loving tendencies and my Mexican food obsession. I couldn't even remember the last time we had the same thing for dinner. Tonight it happened. I made this double crunch chicken and it was a hit- with both of us!

Spicy Sea Scallops

Scallops may be one of my favorite foods ever. I really enjoy when they are super crusty on the outside and tender on the inside. Give me a squeeze of lemon and I am in Heaven!I enjoy making scallops when I have company or when I want to treat myself to a special meal. I originally wanted to model these after my favorite scallop appetizer at Kartabar in Providence, RI. If you are in the area folks, check it out because the food is bangin and it is not expensive!

Garlicky Hasselback Potatoes

So I have been wanting to make hasselback potatoes for awhile and let me tell you, you need to make these immediately. These are like simple baked potatoes, but with an outside that is super crispy and delicious. I took these to another level by adding chopped garlic,olive oil, and truffle salt. These look semi-fancy, but they are actually really simple to make.

Cheesy Veggie & Quinoa Burrittos

As an avid lover of Mexican cuisine in any form I was very excited when I saw this recipe. Since I am constantly on the run, I love those go to meals that I can put together fast, but are home cooked and delicious! Burritos are usually not so healthy. Don't get me wrong, I have had my share of burritos in the past. These burritos are healthier, but are just as tasty!

Recipe Swap: Giada's Roasted Stuffed Tomatoes

It's recipe swap time! Big thanks to Sarah from A Taste of Home Cooking for hosting the swap! This week's theme is recipes from celebrity chef's recipes. Well, let's just say it was quite easy to compile a list of recipes from celebrity chefs. I have about two million cookbooks from the likes of Mario Batali, Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay and even the Top Chef Cookbook! I always love watching  Giada De Laurentiis because she makes cooking look effortless and well she started off on Everyday Italian and I am about as Italian as they come. Part of me is jealous because of how beautiful ( and skinny) she is and she eats so much of her food. Oh well, I won't complain.

Hooray! Wedding Pics are Here!

Sorry folks, no food today. Toby and I got our wedding and engagement pictures in from our wedding in September!How exciting! I have been waiting so long to glance at these again because I loved them so much when I first saw them! I wanted to share them with you guys so let me know what you think! Ps.. if anyone is looking for a wedding photographer in Rhode Island or Connecticut ( she is from Connecticut) you need to call her. She is the coolest chick around. Hope you enjoy!

Can't wait to get down the aisle!

PB&J Bars

This dessert could quite possibly be my new favorite thing. Did you like PB&J sandwiches as a kid? Yes? Ok, then you need to eat these. When I was younger I actually hated Jelly so I stuck to straight up peanut butter sandwiches. I started eating jelly in college ( yes I waited that long) and now I can't believe I didn't have it sooner!

Power Up!!! Quinoa Salad

First off: A Big Happy 27th Birthday to my best friend Brittany!!

On to food. I cannot tell you how many times I eat some form of quinoa salad during the week. Since I go to school two nights a week I need to bring my dinner to class. God forbid I make myself a sandwich! I think this recipe is a winner. I call this Salad Power Up because it has all of the components of a healthy meal you need: Protein, Fiber, Veggies. I mean does it get any better?

Creamy Mushroom Linguini

Another purchase from Seattle paying it forward today. While at Pike Place Market, we bought about $20 worth of pasta from Papardelle's. I fell in love with porcini linguini a few years ago when I bought it there. On this trip I could not wait to buy more to take home to cook.

Thai Chicken Pizza

So I had this amazing pizza on a night when our friends Katie and Mark came over for our Spartacus viewing party. I was so crazy about this pizza I wanted to share it with all of you!This was one of the better Thai chicken pizza recipes I have seen and I didn't even cook it! Mark came over ( this recipe was his date) and he cooked it in our kitchen. You have to love friends coming to your house and cooking for you right?

Caprese Calzone

Calzones are like these little pockets of love that some awesome Italian invented. Every culture has some version of a pocket of goodness. Samosas, meat hand pies, crepes(kind of?.) Whatever. Either way, I love calzones. This one came on a whim when I had leftover pizza dough and some veggies. I thought I had spinach so I was going to make a greek-zone after our friend Harold's favorite calzone at Mew's Tavern ( a favorite local watering hole.) Cute to my panic when I had no spinach. No worries. I had basil, mozzarella and tomatoes. Done. Caprese calzone.

Baked Bang Bang Cauliflower

I have literally never been so excited to write a blog post in my life! A few months ago I attempted baked bang bang shrimp, which I was so excited about because I baked the shrimp instead of frying. Well people, let me tell you- I have outdone myself! I found a recipe on the blog That's So Michelle and I could not have been any more excited to make a dish for this blog! I had some cauliflower florets left over so I thought this would be a great way to use it.

WIAW & Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Pre baking..

It's that time again. Peas & Crayons was nice enough to host WIAW so I could talk about all of the healthy (and not so healthy) things I ate this week. I like to think that I eat healthy most of the time so I can indulge whenever the hell I feel like it! Here is a taste of some of the favorite things I ate this week!

My 2nd Ever Kitchen Disaster: Oatmeal Cranberry & Walnut Cookies

I first saw the recipe on the Chew in one of my marathon sessions of watching The Chew. One episode two or three I stumbled on these delicious cookies! Oatmeal cookies have never been my favorite, but the addition of the tart cranberries really intrigued me!

Vodka Spiked Gummy Bears

You read it right people! Vodka infused gummy bears! Toby and I threw a "Spartacus Party" this weekend where our other Spartacus groupie friends came over and we watched the season finale. Any Spartacus fans out there? Seeing that almost no one in the world has Starz as a movie channel we may be the only fans of the show out there. Either way, Toby decided that he wanted to make vodka spiked gummy bears. I was so intrigued, how could I say no?

Goat Cheese & Potato Pizza

I am going to dub this pizza the carb-o-licious pizza. Not only are you eating a carbohydrate filled crust, you get to eat potatoes on top also! Hooray! I decided to add extra deliciousness to the pizza by adding goat cheese. I grew up eating a similar recipe of potato pizza that my mom would make. I love white pizza. Sometimes you just don't need sauce!

Falafel Burgers

Hello stack of fiber loving goodness

I would call it a goal of mine to make as many tasty variations of veggie burgers that I possibly can!Cue in Rachael Ray and her millions of burger recipes. I like veggie burgers because they are packed with fiber and protein and are way cheaper than making meat burgers. There are so many variations that you can make and change depending on what you have on hand. That is the best part! Let the creative juices flow!

WIAW & Crunchy Avocado Fries

Oh hello avocado fries! You are my new favorite snack!I once read an article that said Mayan's thought avocados held mystical powers. Well folks, after eating these babies, the Mayan's have made me a believer! Ok, stop salivating.First, let's recap some of my highlights of what I ate this week for WIAW!

Cheesy Cauliflower Puree

So I have tried cauliflower as "mashed potatoes" a few times now and have never been that impressed. I always used a potato masher after they were boiled and the consistency always felt weird. I decided to try it today with my food processor since I had it taken out for a few other recipes I was making( God forbid I take it out for one dish.) Again, as I mentioned yesterday, I am lazy.

Cilantro Pesto Shrimp

This may be one of the easiest and most flavorful dishes dishes ever made. My friend Katie introduced me to this dish last year and I am so excited to share it with all of you!This a very versatile dish that you can use to make fajitas, tacos, or even a yummy appetizer. I decided to serve these on a bed of cauliflower and goat cheese puree and let me tell you this was quite an exciting dish.